Division of Student Affairs Announces Organizational Changes to Better Serve Students

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Putting “Students First” is something that the Division of Student Affairs has always practiced. In this time of change at the university, the Division of Student Affairs has created an organizational structure that will better address the needs of students across campus in the spirit of the division’s motto “connecting students to success.”

Departments, programs and responsibilities have been realigned under a new administrative structure that includes an associate vice provost, a senior associate dean of students and an associate dean of students.

Robert Mock, formerly the assistant vice chancellor, has been named associate vice provost for student affairs with divisional responsibility for finances and resource stewardship. Mock will also supervise the executive director of University Housing and Student Affairs auxiliary facilities, as well as the executive director of business services for student affairs.

“This move provides a consolidation of all major auxiliary areas under Dr. Mock, who will steward our financial direction,” said Daniel Pugh, vice provost for student affairs and dean of students. “Robert will report to me and assume additional responsibilities in my absence.”

“Under Dr. Pugh, the reorganization of the Division of Student Affairs places us in a position to streamline our operations, to better serve students first, and to prepare for future challenges as the institution grows,” Mock said. “The academic mission and retention, as well as student engagement were all greatly considered, and this new structure reinforces the institutional mission to further develop college-educated Arkansans.”

Mock has more than two decades of professional experience including four years of coordination among three different institutions of higher education in Arkansas (University of Arkansas, University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Arkansas State University). Since 2007 he has served the University of Arkansas as assistant vice chancellor for student sffairs and prior to joining the university, he served as the student services division chief and director of recruitment and retention for UALR. He holds a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville; a master's degree in interpersonal and organizational communication, and a doctorate in higher education administration, both from UALR. He also serves our country as an officer in the Arkansas Army National Guard.

Ashley Tull, formerly the associate dean of students for campus life, has been named senior associate dean of students with divisional responsibilities for personnel and staff development.  “Dr. Tull will continue to supervise his current portfolio of departments while assuming broader divisional responsibilities to which he is uniquely qualified to steward,” Pugh said. “Ashley’s professional and scholarly efforts, including a newly published book and a number of refereed journal articles on student affairs personnel, affirm his standing as one of the top student affairs professionals and scholars in our field. He will continue to report directly to me and assume additional responsibilities in my absence.”

Tull has previously held positions in student affairs at Florida State University, Georgia Highlands College and Middle Georgia College. He earned a Bachelor of Science with honors in social and rehabilitation services and a Master of Education in college student personnel services from the University of Southern Mississippi. He received a graduate certificate in human resource development and a Doctor of Education in higher education administration from Florida State University, where he was a Hardee Scholar. He has served as the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Region III chair and national chair of  the organization’s New Professionals and Graduate Students Knowledge Community. Tull currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Happiness Studies, the Journal of College and Character, and the College Student Affairs Journal. He has previously written on management concepts, staff supervision, mentoring and socialization of new professionals for Net Results, the Journal of College and Character and the Journal of College Student Development. His research interests center on management concepts and staff supervision in student affairs and higher education.

Judd Harbin, formerly the assistant to the vice chancellor, is now an associate dean of students, taking on supervision of several student affairs departments. His former position as assistant to the vice chancellor for student affairs has been eliminated and those duties split among the three associate deans of students. Harbin will supervise the offices of International Students & Scholars, Pre-College Programs, Off Campus Connections and the Veterans Resource & Information Center. He will maintain divisional responsibility for assessing programs and services.

“This change of roles will permit me to serve these offices for which I feel a strong personal connection. It also allows me to focus more on assessment and steward efforts within student affairs to verify the impact of our work,” Harbin said. “One of the principles of the university is integrity. That principle includes keeping our promises. When we offer programs or services to help students to develop skills, awareness or competencies, we make a promise to help them achieve the intended outcomes. Through assessment, we take the time and effort to discern whether and how well we are fulfilling our promises. Our students are important enough for us to take the time to make sure that we are fulfilling our promises to them.”

“Dr. Harbin is the consummate professional, bringing integrity to all his endeavors,” Pugh said. “In eliminating his prior position and distributing some of his responsibilities among the leadership team in student affairs we were able to focus his new efforts on direct service to students while ensuring divisional responsibilities are managed. Judd’s professionalism, including his commitment to students, makes this change doable at the present time. While his service these last few years have been mostly administrative, he has always viewed his work as contributing to our being student centered.”

Harbin earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Birmingham-Southern College. He earned his master and doctorate in counseling psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. He came to the University of Arkansas Student Health Center in 1998 to serve as a mental health clinician with Counseling and Psychological Services. In 2003, he became an assistant director at the Pat Walker Health Center. In 2006, he was promoted to assistant to the vice chancellor for student affairs. Licensed as a psychologist since 2000, Harbin serves on the board of directors for the Arkansas Psychological Association. Governor Mike Beebe recently appointed Harbin to the Arkansas Psychology Board, the state agency regulating the practice of psychology. Harbin is also a member of the American Psychological Association.

###

Scott Flanagin, director of communications and outreach
Division of Student Affairs
479-575-6785, sflanagi@uark.edu